We’re continuing the conversation this week with Greg Potter, PhD., but with a plot twist. We’ve had Greg on the podcast many times discussing all facets of sleep and circadian biology, but today the topic is low back pain.  Greg has had personal experience with this problem since the age of 12 and has devoted extensive time and effort to researching and trying various treatment methods to find relief for himself and his coaching clients. He’s quick to admit he’s not an expert in low back pain, but it’s clear he’s well-versed on the topic. Greg thoroughly examines low back pain in this podcast, including causes, treatments, and scientifically-validated approaches for relieving chronic discomfort. He discusses time-tested treatments and cutting-edge options, including therapies, exercises, and supplements. He also recalls the book that started his healing journey and the best ways to give your back a break during daily movement and activities. Here’s the outline of this episode with Greg Potter:  [00:00:10] Health Optimisation Summit. [00:00:44] Podcasts: How to Use Time-Restricted Eating to Reverse Disease and Optimize Health, with Satchin Panda, PhD; Kale vs Cow: The Case for Better Meat, with Diana Rodgers, RD. [00:01:53] Stuart McGill on HumanOS podcast: How to Avoid or Improve Back Pain Podcast with Stuart McGill [00:02:14] Greg on STEM-talk Podcast: Episode 136: Greg Potter Talks About Circadian Biology and the Importance of Sleep. [00:02:31] Greg's history with back pain. [00:03:07] Book: Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation Third Edition, by Stuart McGill. [00:07:05] Chronic back pain: prevalence and costs to society. [00:09:42] Causes and types of lower back pain. [00:18:53] Sports that increase risk of back pain. [00:21:11] Physical Therapist Zac Cupples; Podcasts: Movement Analysis and Breathing Strategies for Pain Relief and Improved Performance and Airway Dentistry: What to Do When You Don’t Breathe Right At Night. [00:22:18] Podcasts with Mike T. Nelson: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Ben House: 1, 2. [00:22:18] Prevalence of spinal stenosis without symptoms; Review: Deer, Timothy, et al. "A review of lumbar spinal stenosis with intermittent neurogenic claudication: disease and diagnosis." Pain medicine 20.Supplement_2 (2019): S32-S44.​ [00:23:29] Spinal degeneration with no symptoms, by age; Study: Brinjikji, Waleed, et al. "Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations." American journal of neuroradiology 36.4 (2015): 811-816. [00:24:02] Nociplastic (nonspecific) pain. [00:26:29] Psychological causes for pain. [00:27:34] Lorimer Moseley on YouTube. [00:28:51] Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Zach Moore; Podcasts featuring Zach: Overcoming Adversity and Strength Coaching and Health Fundamentals: Movement and Exercise. [00:33:36] Rates of low back pain in traditional cultures and early human species. [00:37:13] 2015 study: Plomp, Kimberly A., et al. "The ancestral shape hypothesis: an evolutionary explanation for the occurrence of intervertebral disc herniation in humans." BMC evolutionary biology 15.1 (2015): 1-10. [00:38:53] Difficulties in assessing and treating back pain. [00:43:51] Stuart McGill; Backfit Pro. [00:44:47] Abel Romero; Podcast: How to Avoid Chronic Pain, Improve Mobility and Feel 100% Confident in Your Lifting. [00:46:11] Spine hygiene (i.e., how to give your lower back a break); moving well and often. [00:50:53] Building spine stability. [00:51:56] Stuart McGill's Big 3 Exercises. [00:54:14] Bracing your spine when lifting things. [01:02:06] Bracing with breath: Valsalva maneuver. [01:03:22] Treatments that intervene with pain at the brain level. [01:05:58] Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for low back pain; Study: Cherkin, Daniel C., et al. "Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction vs cognitive behavioral therapy or usual care on back pain and functional limit